Lifeboat launching device



April 7, 1931;

A. E. HALL LIFEBOAT LAUNCHING DEVICE Filed Jan. 5, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet lw MP);

32 INVENTOR HZLE/V Ell/41L.

BY WZ S HIS TOR Ys.

April 7, 1931. A, E. HALL LIFEBOAT LAUNCHING DEVICE Filed Jan. 5, 1951 3Sheets-Sheet 3 E ulllll-E INVENTOR All E/V E2 HAUL HIS TOR Patented Apr.7, 1931 UNITED STATES ALLEN E. HALL, OF NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA VLIrEBoAr LAUNCHING DEVICE Application filed January 5, 1931. Serial No.506,670.

This invention relates to devices'or apparatus for launching life-boatsfrom the deck of a moving vessel, and obviously from any therebypreventing water, snow, etc., from such as during dark and stormy nightseven.

entering the boat and to allow the boatto be turned right side upforloading from the deck of a vessel when an emergency requireslaunching the same.

Another object of the invention is to provide a lifeboat launchingdevice which can be operated by oneperson, which will position thelife-boat to receive its occupants and lower it to the surface of thewater in less than sixty seconds and without assistance from any of theother members of the crew or of passengers.

A further object of the invention is to provide a launching device for alife-boat which, when the latter is loaded with the occupants, can beeasily lowered to the surface of the Water quickly and efficientlythrough the automatic brake action of the lowering apparatus Thislaunching of a life-boat may take place even-under adverse marineconditions when the elements are at their worst,

if the lights on a ship have been extinguished for any reason. This mayeven be accomplished when the boat is covered with ice or snow and theship maybe badly listed or in a heavy sea. 7

A further object'of the invention is to provide apparatus so that all ofthe life-boats may be launched at one time by remote control, such as inthe pilot houseof a ship, or individual life-boats may be launchedwithout interfering with the remote control for the launching ofanyindividual life-boat 'with which the ship may be provided.

A further object of the invention is to provide apparatus to accomplishthe above mentioned objects that will be protected from the weather andso enclosed that the parts .will not become corroded or deteriorateduring any considerable period of disuse.

Another object of'the invention is to provide energizing means forlaunching the lifeboat that will be at-all times and instantaneouslyavailable regardless of the condition of electric or other power on aship.

For a detailed description of one form of this invention which is atpresent deemed preferable, reference may be had to the fol-- lowingspecification and to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof,in which Fig. 1 is a transverse sectional view ora life-boat arrangedaccording to my invention and stowed upside-down on the deck of a"vessel, and also showing spring operated means for positively raisingthe life-boat from its stowed position.

Fig. 2 is a similar transverse sectional view but showing means forcontrolling the motion of the life-boat during its launching andapparatus for retracting the life-boat into its stowed position whennecessary.

Fig. 3 is a similar transverse sectional view showing a life-boat in theact of being launched and raised to its highest position above thepivots which carry it.

Fig. 4: is a similar transverse sectional view showing the life-boatafter it has been swung outward and in position for receivingpassengers.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the deck portion of the launching device withthe left-boat itself removed, parts of the apparatus being shown insection.

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view showing one form of mechanism formaking remote control of a launching apparatus eflective from the pilothouse or other suitable point.

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the gearing, brake mechanismand'control ling apparatus therefor which. allows the launching devicetobe put into operation and 4 permits control of the outboard motion ofthe life-boat and the stopping of the launching mechanism when the boatis in position for loading.

Fig. 8 is a transverse sectional iew taken substantially on the line 8-8of Fig. 3.

Fig. 9 is an elevation of the means for -Fig. 5. Each cable 11terminates in releasing the lowering or hoisting cables from thelife-boat.

Fig. 10 is an enlarged sectional view of the bearings forming the pivotsof Fig. 8, and

Fig. 11 is an elevational view showing how Elie controlling cable isattached to a lifeoat.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the hull of thelife-boat; numeral 2 a deck of the ship or other structure upon whichthe launching device is mounted. The life-boat rests upon a pair ofpivoted arms 3, one of which arms is located toward the bow of thelife-boat, and the other toward the stern thereof.

These arms preferably consist of a flat plate 4 having right angle lips4' and flanges 5 which are adapted to fit over the top of the casing 6to form a weather-tight casing for the parts of the launching mechanismtherein. The arms 3 are pivoted at one end as indicated in Figs. 8 andby the use of short bolts or shafts which pass through openings in thecasing 6. The bolts are provided with bushings 7 and 8 of bronze orother noncorrodible material, and form bearings for the flanges 5 andhubs 10 on the arms 3 and for the arms 28 and the web 9, the function ofwhich parts will be explained hereafter.

The flanges 5 of the arms 3 are welded or otherwise rigidly attached toeccentric grooved disks or hubs 10 so that said flanges and said hubsmay rotate or oscillate on said bushings 7 which form bearings therefor.

When the parts forming the pivots of the arms 3 and 28 and the web 9 areassembled in position, the nuts on the ends of the bolts may be screwedtight, thereby holding said bushings 7 and 8 firmly in position againstand between the sides of the casing 6.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 5, it will be seen that ends of the flanges5 forming the arms 3 are attached to the above mentioned eccentricgrooved disks or hubs 10. Cables 11 are attached as indicated at 12, andpass 1nto substantially cylindical tubes or casings 13, each of whichare located as indicated in a plug 14 which passes through a slidabledisc or plunger 15 within the tube 13. Between the head 15 and'the end16 of the tube is placed a helical spring 17 which tends to force thehead and cable toward the left, as shown in Fig. 1. This pressure orforce of the spring 17 obviously produces a heavy tension on the cable11 and tends to rotate the eccentric 10 to raise thearm 3. The force ofthese springs is sufficient to raise the life-boat to a positionapproximately as indicated in Fig. 3, after which the continued forcethereof combined with the force of gravity acting upon the life boatwill cause it to be lowered or rotated substantially to the positionindicated in Fig. 4, the weight of the boat resting on the lips 4.

As the boat continues to move outwardly it reaches the position shown inF gure 4, at whidh time the cable 52 becomes taut, thus causing cable 52to pull on brake rod 49 applying pressure to brake band 43,stoppingfurther movement of cable drums 24 causing the boat to be heldstationary and rigidly in the position shown in Figure 4, which is thepassenger loading position. The length of cable 52 having beenpreviously adjusted so as to stop the boat just before the links 32 stopthe movement of arms 3 which are still under the influence of thedownward pressure produced by sprin s 17.

In that position the ife-boat is pulled upward tightly against theplates 4 of the arms 3 which are held so that they are a little abovetheir lowest outward swing, thereby causing the links 32 to be slightlyout of alignment. Thus, the life-boat is prevented from swinging whenbeing loaded with passengers regardless of list of the ship or ofrolling of the ship in a heavy sea, thel flanges 4' aiding in preventingsidewise motion. When the cable 52 is released and the stopping actionof the brake removed the life-boat will descend automatically to thesurface of the water.

Referring now to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, in which the controlling mechanismfor launching the life-boat is illustrated, it will be seen that thelife-boat is provided with a terminal socket 18 which is attached to thehull of the boat or to any other suitable part thereof. The socket 18carries the end of a rod 19 which is attached to an opposing socket 20,that is bolted or otherwise fastened to the deck or a thwart, asindicated at 21. The opening in the socket 20 is adapted to receive acylindrical plug 22, to which is attached one end of a cable 23. Thecable 23 passes downward through an opening in the plate 4 and is woundupon a drum 24 which is fixed on a shaft passing through the sides ofeasing 6. The drum 24 carries at one side a gear or toothed wheel 25which is adapted to mesh with a pinion 26, one' of which is carried oneach end of the transverse shaft 27.

It will thus be appreciated that when the shaft 27 is rotated in onedirection or the other, the respective pinions on the ends thereof willbe rotated and the gears 25 and drums 24 will be rotated accordingly.This will permitthe cables 23 to unwind from the drums or a reverserotation will cause the cables to be wound upon the drums. In order thatthe cables 23 may be caused to travel in the proper path to controlmotion of the lifeboat during its rotation of approximately 180 degrees,a pair of arms 28 are provided whose hub 8 is rotatably mounted on thebushing 8 carried by shaft or pivot bolt 7 and the web 9 extends fromsaid hub and between said arms.

The outer ends of the arms 28 are provided with a bearing or pivot bolt29, upon which is mounted a grooved wheel 30, and

over which the cable 23 is adapted to run, as

indicated in Fig. 4. The web 9 carries at its outer end a short link 31,the ends of which are pivoted to the links 32 and 33. The latterlinksare adapted to be folded together when the boat is in stowedposition, as indicated in Fig. 2, but when the boat is being raised andswung to its outboard position the links 33 first straighten out untilthe arms 28 are in their vertical position, and then the links 32 areapproximately straightened out when the boat is in a ho rizontal loadingposition. These links therefore form a" limiting stop for the motion ofthe arms 3 and 28.

As indicated in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the arms 3 are provided with a groovedwheel or roller 34 over which the cable 23 also passes to avoid frictionbetween the cable and said arms. It will be noticed that-the web 9'abovereferred to serves to strengthen the arms 28 and to maintain the links31, 32 and 33 in their proper positions at all times.

The mechanism for rotating the shaft 27 and controlling the inboard oroutboard motion of the life-boat will now be described.

Referring to Fig. 7, it will be seen that the shaft 27 has keyed to it agear wheel 35..

This gear wheel meshes with a pinion 36 carried on a short shaft 37. Theshaft 37 also carries another toothed wheel 38 and the latter mesheswith a pinion 39 carried on the shaft 40. The shaft 40 also carries abrake drum 41. one side of which carries a toothed flange 42. The brakedrum 41 isenc'losed by a brake band 43, one end of which is attached toa-suitable support 43 and the other end to an arm.44, forming a bellcrank lever with a handle 45. This is ivoted in the casing 46, asindicated at 47. he arm 44 of the bell crank lever is provided with apivoted socket 48 into one end of which passes a rod 49supported in theprojecting bracket 50.

The rod 49 extends through the gear casing 46 and has a threaded endupon which the cable releasing member 51 is screwed. Cable 52 passesinto this member and is provided with a suitable enlarged end whichenables the releasing member 51 to be rotated to release the cable. Thebrake rod 49 passes through a helical spring 53, and also a sleeve 54which engages screw threads on the rods 49. A lock-nut 55 is alsoprovided on the rod 49 and serves to fix the position of the sleeve 54thereon. By adjusting the position of the sleeve 54 on the rod 49 thetension of the spring 53 on the brake drum may be varied to suit therequired conditions when the brake is operating automatically. The otherend of the cable 52 is attached to the life-boat in any suitable manner,such as by an eye 56 which is fixed upon the deck or to a thwart of theboat, or at any other suitable point practically amidship of the boat.This is indicated more clearly in Fig. 11. When said cable is releasedthe action of the spring 53 will still serve to apply the brake band 43to the brake drum 41 with suflicient pressure to allow thedrum to rotateslowly, and therefore the weight of the boat and its occupants willcause the same to descend until the'surface of the wateris reached. Atthat point of course cables 23 may be disconnected by withdrawing thepins 57 which cause the plug 22 to be released from within the socket20.

Since the brake drum 41 is provided with a toothed flange 42 and this isconnected as above described with the cable drums 24 a pawl indicated at58 in Fig. 7 will hold the brake drum in a fixed position against thetension of the springs 17. This pawl passes through the gear casing 46and is contained within the sleeve 59 which is screw threaded on itsexterior surface as indicated in Fig. 7. A screw threaded cap 60 engagesthe sleeve 59 and is provided with handles 61 for rotating the same. Thecap also carries an en- 'larged portion 62 upon which a small cable 63is wound. A spring 64 within the sleeve 59 serves to force the pawl 58toward the right and causes the same to engage the notched flange 42. Itwill now be seen that by pulling upon the cable 63 the cap 60 will berotated and will withdraw the pawl 58 from the teeth 42. This will ofcourse allow the life-boat to be raised through the action of the arms 3and springs 17 and it willthereafter be swung to its outboard position.Obviously, the cap 60 may be rotated independently of the cable 63 bymeans of the handles 61.. In order that all of the pawls on the variouslife-boat launching units may be operated simultaneously from the pilothouse or other suitable point, the cable a 62 passes over a groved wheel65 below the deck of the ship and is attached to a common cable 66 whichruns to the point where the remote control is located, such as indicatedat 67 This remote control device may constitute any suitable apparatusto which the end of the cable 66 may be attached, but in Fig. 6 isindicated as comprising a lever 68 carrying a pawl 69 engaging a fixedtoothed wheel or rack 70. It will be seen from this device that by anupward pull of the lever 68 the cables 66 and the branch cables 63, 63and 63" will be pulled downward, thereby rotating the drums 64, 64' and64", so that the respective pawls operated thereby are withdrawn fromthe notched flanges of the cable drums to allow all of said drums torotate at the same time. As indicated in Fig. 5, the shaft 40 isextended through the sides of the casing 46 and is provided on each endif necessary with wheels 72, the latter having handles 73 so that theymay be rotated manually. This provides means for winding up the drums 24through the gearing and shaft 27., This man-- ual operation or raisingof the life-boat need only be used when power devices are not availableor are out of commission. The raising and stowing of the life-boat inits upside-down position on deck or other place is obviously anoperation reverse to that of launching. Assuming that the life-boat ison the water ready to be raised, the plugs 22 of the cables 23 areinserted in the fore and aft sockets 20 and the pins 57 inserted to holdsaid parts together.

The hoisting motor 7 7 is then started, after the clutch 75 is engagedand the boat will be raised until it contacts with the arms 3. Thecontinued motion of the cables will then cause the arms 3 to be raisedalso until the ,boat is stowed in the position shown in Figs.

1 and-2. The upward and inward motion of the arms 3 will cause theplungers 15 to be moved toward the right (Fig. 1) so that the spring 17will. be compressed to store up the energy which will become active whenthe firms 3 are again released to launch the lifeoat.

Thus the action of the spring causes the launching mechanism to beentirely automatic and the necessary power is always ready for instantuse when needed, regardless of the condition of the electric or otherpower with which this ship may be provided.

Power devices can be supplied in any suitable way for rotating the shaft40, but I have indicated in Fig. 5, a clutch 7 5 which may be connectedwith one end of the shaft of an electric motor 77. The clutch may beoperated in any preferred manner, such as by the use of a handle 78. Themotor 77 is preferably portable or detachable or may be fixed inpermanent position if desired. It is connected to the driving clutch 75when it is desired to raise the boat by this means.

The motor 77 may be mounted upon a suitable base or support 76 eitherpermanently or detachably. If the motor 77 is detachably mounted, asingle motor may be used for all of the life-boat launching mechanismswhen the boats are being individually stowed and may therefore be movedfrom one boat to another as occasion may require. In such cases theelectric power may be supplied by suitable cables plugged into adjacentor convenlent electriczoutlets. The life-boat may be raised manually byturning the crank handles 73 in case the electric power is not availableor is out of commission.

In order to form a buffer for the arms 3 when rotated into theirhorizontal position when the boat is stowed on the deck, the tubularcasing 79 is mounted within the casing 6 (Figs. 2 and 3) and saidtubular casing 79 is a apted to receive a telescoping casing 80 whichcontains an helical spring 81 which when compressed allows the parts toassume the position shown in Fig. 2, but when the arms are raised willallow the telescoping tube 80 to be forced upward, as indicated in Fig.3. This device not only forms a buffer when the arms are rotated totheir stowed position, but also, owing to the compression of the spring,produces an initial upward force which when the pawl which holds the armin position is released, causes an additional lifting thrust toaccelerate the upward rotating movement of the arms 3 and the life-boat1.

Obviously-other energizing devices may be adopted for launching thelife-boat instead of the force of the springs 17, which cause a tensionon the cables 11, but it is preferred to use such springs because of theenergy stored in them when compressed and because of their automaticaction which is available at all times when released to swing thelife-boat into outboard posit-ion for loading.

After a consideration of the above description of construction andoperation of my improved life-boat launching device, it will beappreciated that the apparatus holds the boat rigidly at the deck levelwhere it is retained securely bottom up in stowed position without thenecessity of using any auxiliary holding or securing devices, such asare used with other types of launching gear, and which ordinarily mustfirst be untied or unfastened before the life-boat can be lowered. Sincethe life-boat is stowed upside down on special stowage devices, theboats are protected from the elements andremain dry without the use ofcanvas covers, such as are customarily used on life-boats when hung fromdavits in the usual way.

A further advantage of the apparatus will be evident because of the factthat the casing 6 is closed by the plate 4 and the flanges 5 which forma cover for said casing, and this casing may be adapted to containgrease or other lubricant to prevent rust or corrosion and forlubricating the gears, cables and other parts within said casing. Thisalso applies to the casing 46 which contains the releasing and brakemechanism for lowering and raising the life-boats. This casing may bepartially filled with oil, grease or other lubricant, whose level may bedetermined by the tap and plug 98.

Since the steel cables are enclosed in casings which contain grease theywill last much longer than has heretofore been possible in life-boatlaunching devices, where cables have been exposed to the weather.

The fact that the life-boat does not require the regular canvas cover isof considerable importance since it saves much valuabletime which wouldbe lost in removing life-boat covers from the boats, particularly whenthe boats are covered with ice or snow. Such canvas life-boat covers arerelatively fragile and are of short life owing to the action of theelements.

The cost of renewing them from time to time is also saved when the boatsare stowed as above described. V

The launching device' herein described holds the life-boat rigidly atthe deck level when it has been swung outward and is in the passengerloading position, as indicated in Fig. 4. It is held securely in thatposition as though it were practically a part of the ship itself. Thismakes it possible for passengers to get into the life-boat with muchgreater safety. and ease than in cases where other launching devices areused where the life-boat is allowed to swing from davi'ts or similarsupports which permits great variation and uncertainty in the positionof the life-boat with reference to the deck when the ship lurches in aheavy sea.

The fact that the apparatus is capable of launching a life-boat in lessthan a .minute, and since all of the boats may be swung out to loadingposition simultaneously by use of the remote control occasioned by theoperation of a single lever placed in the pilot house or other suitableposition, saves a great.

deal of time in a sudden emergency. A single life-boat may be launchedindependently of the others, and such a boat can be swung to itsoutboard position by one person, which action will require only aboutten seconds,

and it is then in a position for the loading of passengers.

The use of this automatic launching device eliminates the necessity oftraining boat crews to handle the boats and when the lifeboats arepropelled when in use by a suitable gasoline or other oil-burningmotors, one tralned seaman or officer may be in com- I plete charge ofthe launching and navigation of each boat, thereby making the othermembers of the crew available for assisting the passengers or subject tothe orders of the captain to maneuver or handle the ship.

Having thus described this form of my invention, I do not wish to beunderstood that the same 'is limited to the details illustrated, forvarious changes may be made by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is: v

1. A life-boat launching device adapted to have a life-boat stowedthereon in upsidedown position, said device comprising latently activepower means for vertically rotating the boat outboard to place the samein normal position for loading.

2. A life-boat launching device adapted to have a life-boat stowedthereon in up-sidedown position, said device comprising a pair ofpivoted supporting arms and latently active power means connecteddirectly therewith for vertically rotating said arms to place" thelife-boat in normal position for loading.

down position, said device comprising a casing, a pivoted supporting armhaving a cover adapted to form a closure therefor, latently active poweractuating mechanism within said casing, and means for releasing saidpower mechanism to cause the motion of said arm to place the life-boatin normal position for loading.

4. A life-boat launching device adapted to have a life-boat stowedthereon in up-sidedown position, said device comprising pivotedsupporting members, latently active power means adapted to containstored energy for vertically rotating said members to place thelife-boat in normal positionfor loading, and automatic means forstopping the motion of the life-boat to fix the same at said loadingposition.

5. A life-boat launching device adapted to have a life-boat stowedthereon in up-sidedown position, said device comprising a pair ofpivoted supporting arms, latently active power means for verticallyrotating said arms to place the life-boat in normal position forloading, cables for holding said lifeboat in position on said arms untilthe ,loading position is reached, and automatic means for controllingthe motion of said boat and stopping the same at the loading posit-ion.

6. A life-boat launching device adapted to have a life-boat stowedthereon in up-sidedown position, said device comprising piv otedsupporting members, means for verti- 1 o cally rotating saidv members,said means comprising parts retained under spring pressure when the boatis stowed, and means for releasing said parts to rotate said members andplace the same in normal position for load- 7. A life-boat launchingdevice adapted to have a life-boat stowed thereon in up-sidedownposition, said device comprising a pair of pivoted supporting arms,springs retained under pressure for rotating said arms to placelife-boat in normal position for loading, and means for releasing theaction of said springs to produce the rotations of said arms.

8. A life-boat launching device adapted to 5 have a life-boat stowedthereon in up-sidedown position, said device comprising a pair ofpivoted supporting arms adapted to swing the boat over the pivotsthereof outward beyond the side of a ship, springs acting upon 120,

cables for retaining said life-boat on said supporting members, drumsupon which said cables are wound, and mechanism adapted to regulateautomatically the movement of said members during their outboardmotions.

10. A life-boat launching device. adapted to have a life-boat stowedthereon in up-sidedown position, said device comprising a pair ofpivoted supporting arms, compression springs for rotating said arms toplace the life-boat in loading position, cables detachably connectedwith said lifeboat, drums on which said cables are wound, devices forcontrolling the motion of said cables during the launching of thelife-boat, and power devices connected with said drums adapted to rotatethe latter to retract said cables and compress said springs to place thelife-boat in stowed position.

11. A life-boat launching device comprising, horizontally pivotedsupporting members, spring actuated parts for rotating said members, acable adapted to be attached to a life-boat, a drum upon which saidcable is wound, gearing connecting said drum with a rotatable shaft,means for retarding the motion of said shaft, and a releasable stop forholding said means in a fixed position. i 12. A life-boat launchingdevice comprising, horizontally pivoted sup orting members, springactuated parts normally under tension for rotating said members invertical planes, a cable adapted to be attached to a life-boat, a drumupon which said cable is wound, gearing connecting said drum with arotatable brake device and means for regulating and stopping the actionof said brake device.

13. A life-boat launching device comprising, pivoted supporting membersupon which a life-boat may be stowed, latently memactive power means forrotating said a releasable stop for bers in vertical planes, holdingsaid supporting members in stowed position against the action of saidpower means and an automatic brake device to regulate and to prevent therotation of said supporting members when said stop has been released.

14. A life-boat launching device comprising, pivoted supporting membersupon which a life-boat may be stowed, springs for rotating said membersupward, a cable adapted to be attached to a life-boat, a drum upon whichsaid cable is wound, gearin connecting said drum with arotatable shaft,means for rotating said shaft to wind said cable on said drum, areleasable stop for holding said drum in fixed position, and a brakedevice connected with said shaft to control the rotation of saidsupporting members when said stop has been released.

15. A life-boat launching device comprising,pivoted supporting membersupon which a life-boat may be stowed, cables connected with the pivotsof said members, springs for producing a tension on said cables,additional cables adapted to be attached to a life-boat, drums uporawhich said cables are adapted to be wound, gearing connecting said drumswith a rotatable shaft, means for rotating said shaft to wind saidcables on said drum, a releasable stop for holding said rotating meansin a fixed position, and a brake device connected with said shaft tocontrol the rotation of said supporting members when said stop has beenreleased.

16. A life-boat launching device comprising, horizontally pivotedsupporting members, means for rotating said members, pivoted armsadjacent said supporting mem- 17. A life-boat launching devicecomprising, horizontally pivoted supporting members, means for rotatingsaid members, pivoted arms adjacent said supporting members, controllingcables adapted to be attached to a life-boat and arranged to pass overthe ends of said arms, and links for causing and limiting the upwardmovement of said arms.

18. A life-boat launching device comprising, horizontally pivotedsupporting members, means for rotating said members, pivoted armscarried by the pivots of said supporting members, supporting cablesadapted to be attached to a life-boat and arranged to pass over the endsof said arms, devices for causing and limiting the upward movement ofsaid arms, and for limiting the outward movement of said supportingmembers.

19'. A life-boat launching device comprising, horizintally pivotedsupporting members upon which alife-boat is carried,means for rotatingsaid members upward, cables adapted to be detachablyponnectedwith saidlife-boat, drums, upon which said cables are wound, brake mechanismconnected with said drums to control the rotation thereof, andconnecting means extending from said brake mechanism and attached tosaid boat and adapted to apply said brake mechanism at a predeterminedposition of said boat, to prevent the downward motion of the latter atthe loading position.

20. A life-boat launching device comprising, horizontally pivotedsupporting members upon which a life-boat is carried, springs forrotating said members upward, cables adapted tobe detachably connectedwith said life-boat, drums upon which said cables are wound, brakemechanism connected with said drums to control the rotation thereof whensaid boat is being lowered, connecting means between said brakemechanism and said boat and adapted to apply the brake mechanism at thedesired position to stop the downward motion of said boat, and a powerdevice for rotating said drums to compress said springs and to raisesaid boat and place the same in stowed position on said supportingmembers.

21. Life-boat launching devices comprising for each life-boat,horizontally pivoted supporting members, releasable means forautomatically rotating said members, releasable devices for holding saidmembers in retracted or stowed position, connections between saidreleasable devices for the supporting members of the respectivelife-boats by the movement of which the boats may be launchedsimultaneously, and a manually operable part located at a desired pointfor actuating said connections and said holding devices.

22. Life-boat launching devices comprising for each life-boathorizontally pivoted supporting members, spring actuated parts forrotating said members, cables adapted to be attached to a life-boat,drums upon which said cables are wound, releasable stops for holdingsaid drums in fixed position, connections between successive releasablestops by which the respective life-boats may be launched simultaneously,and a manually operable part located at a desired point for actuatingsaid connections and said releasable stops.

23. A life-boat launching device comprising pivoted supporting arms, apivoted guide arm, a pivot shaft for said arms, bushings on said shaftand carried in bearings in the ends of said arms, a support for saidshaft, and means for drawing said bushings and said support together tofix said bushings in position on said shaft, 4

Signed this 18th day of December, 1930.

ALLEN E. HALL.

